Link Lionheart
by JohnTitor
Summary: Erza finds out the answer to the eternal mystery... do fairies have tails?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

"Cheers!"

Everyone was celebrating and having fun. The Celestial Spirits really did know how to throw a party.

Erza looked to see Natsu chugging some sort of sake, then spitting it in the air followed by him setting it on fire.

It was then that the Spirit King spoke, "If we're all going to get shitfaced… I think I should seal some of your magic. I wouldn't want to wake up and see half my kingdom frozen."

Everyone laughed, before agreeing.

Erza instantly felt pretty much all of her armors were no longer accessible.

The party continued and everyone was having fun. She was meeting many celestial spirits, but then one of them caught her attention.

It was a small ball of light, and it seemed to be floating around.

_Is… Is that a… Fairy!_

Erza couldn't believe it!

_"Do fairies really have tails? Do they even exist...? Like them, this place is an eternal mystery... a never ending adventure!"_

Erza stood there gaping at the small ball of light. She wasn't positive it was a fairy, but she would always be left wondering. She couldn't risk that.

Then she realized what would happen if she found out whether fairies were real, and if they even had tails?

_No… Nothing would change; Fairy Tail will always be Fairy Tail._

With her dilemma resolved she left the party and followed the blue ball of light.

It was flying pretty fast, and it seemed in a panic. Erza followed still. The Celestial Realm was huge! Erza didn't know how many spirits resided here, but there were many!

Finally the ball of light stopped, and a door of light appeared before it. Erza was running quickly, and saw the ball fly through the door.

_Oh no! It's being summoned!_ Erza tried to stop herself, but she had been desperate to chase the ball of light and now it was too late. She fell in through the door and landed right on her head.

Erza awoke with a splitting headache. _I didn't drink that much._

She struggled to remember what happened when she heard a growl to her left. Turning her head she saw a wolf like creature, and behind it was an entire pack.

Tittania tried to access one of her stronger armors, along with a couple dozen swords, but that's when she realized that most of her armor had been sealed!

The entire pack was closing in on her; however, she showed no fear. _Wolves would smell fear on me like if it was seasoned bacon!_

Erza went through her inventory mentally, thinking over what weapons she still had. A couple armors that weren't suited for the woods, a couple swords and other random weapons.

_I guess a regular sword will have to do._

She walked away slowly, pulling on her sword that was at her hilt now. One of the wolves swiped at her, but she dodged it; however, the next wolf was already slashing at her. She hacked at one, before turning to the others. Jumping backwards and to the side were her only defenses.

_These wolves are strong, but they put too much strength into their swipes and are left defenseless._

With that in mind, she dodged before stabbing one in the back. A howl was let out by the wolf before it fell. It worked. She then turned to see the other wolves ready to continue this fight.

She felt beads of sweat go down her head. _I'm getting a work out?_ She wasn't sure why she was sweating; if her magic was sealed maybe her strength was weaker.

* * *

_Fwosh_.

The arrows flew from his bow at his enemies. The string of his weapon almost sounded like music, as if it wasn't a bow, but a lyre.

Epona rode, and rode hard. There were monsters everywhere, only slightly off put by Link's arrows. In front of him a Moblin was frozen, spear aimed towards them, ready to strike. It was not a difficult jump for Epona at all. Together they kept on trekking towards the Kokiri Forest.

_I can't fail them. I won't._

Those were the only thoughts that went through Link's mind as they rode. A group of Stalfos were getting too close, but a rapid succession of light arrows vanquished them on sight. He pulled out some carrots to feed Epona as she rode on.

He could see an Iron Knuckle up ahead, but he didn't have time. Pulling on his mare's reins, they avoided the beast and travelled a bit further.

Taking a detour would make the trip longer, but fighting an Iron Knuckle head on would take even longer. Epona could definitely make up the time they lost on the detour.

Finally the entrance to the forest could be seen, but it was blocked by a tree trunk. Link smiled at that.

He headed towards the gate and jumped off of Epona's back. Pulling out his Master Sword he attacked the Stalfos and Wolfos that were at the gate trying to claw their way in.

There were at least a dozen of the foul beasts, but Link managed to defeat them on his own. Finally the last of the skeleton warriors fell, nothing but bones.

"Hey Sprout, mind letting me in?" The trees started moving making way for him and Epona to come inside. He had just walked inside when he noticed the bridge was down. _A precaution, in case the Deku Sprout couldn't hold the gates._ He looked down to see the Lost Woods. No ordinary person without a fairy could ever get out of there. Let alone a mindless beast like a Moblin. Link hopped on his horse and whispered to her, "Ready girl?"

Quickly backing up, he gave Epona a running start and they jumped the gap like nothing. Smiling towards himself, he fed Epona one last carrot before mounting off.

The jump was not a big deal for his beautiful mare. A horse like Epona could jump twice as far.

As he walked inside he saw that thankfully the forest was not overrun by monsters; however, all the Kokiri children were running around with buckets of water heading further down the village. He followed them and could see Mido at the top of a rock, still not as tall as him, barking out orders.

"Hurry! We have to keep the Great Deku Sprout well fed so that he can protect our gates!" Then he turned and saw Link with Epona in tow. "Hey!" Link looked across to Mido, and nodded, "What do you think you're doing with that horse! You can't just bring a horse in here!"

Link looked at Epona, and then looked towards the gate.

Mido, understood and scratched his head a bit sheepishly. "Oh right… Well I guess for now you can bring your horse in here."

Link was about to say thanks when from a cliff a fairy came flying down screaming.

"Link!" He turned hearing his name and was surprised. "Link! I'm so glad you're alive!" He forgot about everything as Navi crashed into him. He enveloped her in a gentle hug as she wailed into him. "I'm so sorry I left. I should have stayed longer." He patted her gently, "I thought…" He kept soothing her, "I thought you died!"

He whispered to her, "It is okay Navi. I'm alive."

Then he heard small footsteps. "Link…?" He looked to the side to see Mido had wandered near him. "Is that really you Link?"

The young Kokiri looked up at Link with disbelief. Link looked at Mido and finally said, "Yeah Mido… It's me. I guess…" He stopped for a bit, "I guess you were right Mido… I'm not a Kokiri after all. I grew up."

Mido ran at Link and then kicked him in the shin. "Link! You're such an idiot Link!" Before the young Hylian could do anything, the Kokiri continued, "It doesn't matter if you're father was Hylian and your mother was Gerudo!" Before Link could correct him, he went on, "It doesn't matter if you're brother is a Goron! Or if you're wife is a Zora!" Link was surprised that those were actually part true, "Link… Deep down inside, you will always be Kokiri too!" Mido enveloped his leg in a hug, and before Link could hug back all the other Kokiri children ran out to hug him as well. There were tears in everyone's eyes.

Link hugged them all, "I'm so glad you're alive and okay. I was worried, that I wouldn't make it in time like last time." The last time he emerged from the Temple of Time, Kokiri Forrest had been overrun by monsters. They were like that for moments before finally breaking away.

"You should talk to the Great Deku Sprout, he will be glad to see you're alive." Mido spoke up.

As the two walked together, the young Kokiri finally asked, "Is… Is Saria okay?"

Link answered quietly, "She's okay. You know, she's a Sage now?"

Mido laughed, "She's special isn't she."

Link nodded, "She always has been. Right now she's with the other Sages trying to summon the goddesses to see if there's any way to stop the havoc that is going on outside."

Mido kept silent. They continued to walk before they stood before the Great Deku Sprout.

"Link, you're alive!"

"Yes. I'm glad to see you were able to keep those things away."

The Deku Sprout let out a laugh, "Don't underestimate me."

"I'm glad everything is fine, are you in particular need of assistance?" Link didn't want to seem rude, "I mean… this wasn't really a house call. Everyone is in panic outside so I was wondering if you needed anything in specific."

The Deku Sprout asked quietly, "What happened out there?"

Link seemed to consider giving a short answer, but even Navi had flown out of his cap and looked questioning. "After I defeated Ganondorf, Navi said she would travel to the Celestial Realm to recover some health. It was only me and Sheik- I mean Zelda, leaving the castle, when it erupted. From the wreckage came Ganondorf's true power, he was a foul demon. Ganon is what he called himself. With Sh-Zelda's help, I was able to kill it too, but before it died, it unleashed the Triforce of Power into every single one of his underlings."

Mido, Navi and the Deku Sprout took a gasp. "As of now, I could only briefly help fortify both Kakriko Village and scout Castle Town for a few survivors."

Deku Sprout nodded, "Well looks like you're busy, but if I could request something?" Link answered yes, and he continued, "The gates will be fortified, but every time my tree branches snap or something similar, I hurt, so if you could go back in time and plant trees at the gates, when you come back I'll be able to have grown the trees. I need you to do this, but other people are also a priority."

Link tried to think it over. "I think I can do it, I'll head over to the Temple of Time and travel back and plant them. When I come back nothing should have changed so I'll be able to pick up where things left off."

Mido saw that Link was moving on and followed right behind, "Let me see you off Link."

The Hylian smiled, "Sure. You can meet my horse, Epona."

As Mido rode on Epona a bit, Link remembered something he had borrowed. Pulling it out from his pouch he went up to Mido, "I brought back the Kokiri Sword. Since you're like the leader, I guess I should give it to you."

Mido from atop Epona, looked at Link, "Keep it! As a reminder that you're a Kokiri! Who knows, you might need it sometime."

Link smiled, "Thank you."

Navi flew out from under his hat, "Link! We need to go soon!"

"Sure, sure." He pulled out his ocarina, "I hope Epona can stay here?"

Mido nodded and then listened to Link as he played a couple of notes, and then started glowing and disappeared.

* * *

Erza was lost. She had no idea where the exit was. Everywhere she walked looked the same. Every once in a while she felt like she was being watched too. It wasn't a feeling of hostility, like when she ran into the pack of wolves. It was different. She would turn and turn and run and sprint and even cut down bushes and scrubs, but nothing and no one were ever in sight.

Honestly, it was getting to her. She tried to stay calm, but she had no idea where she was. She saw a pond, and it seemed like the same pond she had seen at least a _dozen_ times before. She even saw the same flowers she had cut before. She headed towards the pond and she found a rock, and almost afraid she looked under it. There they were! The same flowers she had cut and placed under the rock where there; however, when she turned to look at the flowers she previously cut, they were there as if nothing had happened!

_I'm going crazy!_

She looked and the pond looked normal, no sign of anything happening. She turned around and left. She had taken four steps when she felt it again. A presence was behind her. She turned quickly, but nothing had changed.

She stood there staring at the pond for minutes before she decided to keep on walking, but that's when it happened.

The pond let out a bubble.

_Bloop_.

She headed straight for the pond, and inside was… a boy?!

She looked at him and wasn't sure what to think. He didn't look like he had ordinary clothes, it looked like could have been made of leaves and bark. On his face, hiding his features was a mask. She was about to talk to him, when a dart flew at her. She jumped back in time to avoid it. Soon came another dart, and another and another. She kept dodging them, even allowing the young boy to get out of the water. He stood atop of a rock, and she stood tall away from him. The skull kid, had a flute in his hands, pointed at her. She didn't know whether to take him seriously or not. He was a boy, but his darts weren't toys. While Erza pondered what to do, the boy turned around and ran. It took Erza a moment to comprehend, before she chased after him.

"Wait!"

Her cries were moot; the Skull Kid didn't want to stop. He ran then dove into the grass. Erza stopped herself before the slightly taller patch of grass. She pulled out her sword and cut away at the grass. When it was done she realized the boy actually did _dive_ into the grass; however, inside the grass were holes.

_Should I follow him into one of these holes?_

She wasn't sure what would happen, or where she would end up, but then it occurred to her that she was in fact lost.

_If I'm lost, and I have no idea where I'm going, what's the difference if I fall inside this hole, it won't change the fact that I'm lost or not._

She decided to go for it, and jumped into a random hole, hoping she would end somewhere, anywhere, other than these dreaded woods.

* * *

When he first reached the Temple of Time, Link was ready to place the Master Sword back on the pedestal and go back in time to plant the trees; however, he heard a faint noise. It was a dim noise, but it was also a familiar noise: it was the clash of a blade against flesh! It had come from outside. Turning away from the pedestal, Link followed the sound of sword on flesh.

That was how our young hero ended up fighting hordes of the dead. The things were everywhere. Their horrid screams piercing the heavens. Anguished and sorrowful, yet there was no time to feel pity for them. A moment's hesitation could cost one their lives. The faltering of one's blade would allow them to paralyze you with their screams: the screams that filled one with terror. Our young warrior knew this.

"Heyah!" The Master Sword slashed downwards at one of the ReDeads coming at him from in front. As the monster fell more gathered around it and started feeding off of it.

He ran around the corner and saw her. She was standing there in a skirt with two short blades in hand. The young woman ran around them and slashed as much as she could. It was a group of 10, yet she showed no fear and kept attacking. He was so transfixed he wasn't able to make out the movement of the creatures as they neared him. When he was finally able to turn, he simply stared in horror as the ReDead screamed at him; the cry of the creature once again paralyzing his entire body.

He grunted in pain as sweat accumulated around his forehead. He was desperately trying to get his body to move before the abomination reached him.

Then the young woman came running in again; her footsteps light, but focused. The female carried herself with the presence of a warrior. She jumped up in the air and slashed downwards slicing the head in half.

Instantly the feeling in the pit of his stomach ceased. Before he could thank her, or she could ask his name, he muttered quietly, "Follow me."

Turning around and heading back the alleyway, the woman had little choice but to obey.

As they reached the place where he had previously been recovering, he turned to see her effortlessly keep up with him. He gave a small smile. Once they were put he looked at her, "Want to leave this place?"

She looked skeptical, but nodded. He held out his gloved hand, and she grabbed it. He pulled out his ocarina, although the woman did look at it oddly, before playing a melody. They started glowing and then teleported away.

When they landed the woman kneeled over and retched whatever substances she had eaten that day. He looked away as she wiped her mouth. Finally she looked up at him, before looking around. They were in a temple.

"Why are we here?!" She snarled pulling out her sword.

The warrior looked at her; she was still slightly unsteady from the teleportation. Although she wasn't stable, her sword was ready to cut. He idly wondered where the shorter swords had gone, but now wasn't the time to ask questions. He quickly jumped a step back and pulled out his shield.

"We're in the Temple of Time."

"Why are we here?" Now she was stable. He didn't want to get in a fight, but if he did, he should have attacked her while she was stunned.

"This a safe place. The walls of this temple are protected by ancient magic preventing the creatures from getting in." They stared at each other. He wondered if he should pull out his sword, but decided not to, as a show of good faith. "Why are you wary of this place?"

She didn't answer him immediately, but after a few seconds she spoke, "When I awoke, I was here. I fought tooth and nail through hordes of those things for hours to get away and discover a way out of here." Looking around, "Now you bring me back here? It's like I didn't even accomplish anything!"

He tentatively put his shield away. "I only brought you here so we could talk in safety." He looked around, "This place… This place is sacred. I would appreciate it if you put your sword away."

She slowly sheathed her sword, but it stayed at her waist.

He walked up to her and extended his hand, "My name is Link."

She took his gloved hand, and shook it, "I'm Erza Scarlet."

He looked at her, "Like your hair."

Her eyes widened slightly, but then she smiled melancholic, "Yes, like my hair."

He took notice, and made sure to keep in the back of his mind. "Anyways, I can't believe you're still alive. I had discerned that there was no more life here." He moved towards the steps and sat on them, as she did the same.

"What happened here?"

"What do you mean? Aren't you one of the citizens of Castle Town?" He looked surprised.

She quickly replied, "Uh… I was in this temple the whole time, I hadn't gone out before and when I did, everything had changed."

He knew she was telling the truth, but it wasn't the whole truth. Link was tempted to pull out his Mask of Truth and make her tell him, but he wanted to gain her trust. A warrior like her could come in handy.

"It happened a couple days ago. After a fight with a demon lord, Ganon, the Seven Sages of Hyrule tried to seal him into another dimension. However, the stubborn fool unleashed his power unto the world. As he died, his essence was spread to all of his vile underlings throughout the world." As he saw her surprise at words like, demon lord, sages, dimension, and even Hyrule, he knew she wasn't from around here.

"After that, the remaining people of Castle Town that Ganon had enslaved had been quickly attacked and turned into the monsters you see out there. The Sages were weakened by the attack and the hero who fought Ganon was unable to stop the creatures from killing the people."

Erza noticed that his hands had curled into fists, and wondered if his family had been in Castle Town.

"Anyways, the entrance to this city has been sealed, hopefully keeping the monsters inside and stopping them from spreading." He looked at her again, "For that reason, even if you had managed to cut your way out, you would have unleashed the creatures into the rest of the world, it's a good thing I found you."

Erza looked a little embarrassed. She wondered if she would have cut up the exit, and decided she probably would. After all, Fairy Tail was known for causing destruction, and she was one of their strongest members.

"I apologize. I merely wanted to leave." Then she realized, "If we're here, then how will we leave?"

"I can teleport us to certain areas." Looking up at the roof, as if looking at the sky he said, "It's about time I head back anyways."

"There's somewhere we can go back to?"

That cemented the fact that she wasn't from around here. "Yes. Before Ganon had taken complete control of Castle Town, some of its citizens were able to escape to a village." He looked at her a little more intently. "Maybe a friend of yours was able to escape there."

She looked at him, _He knows!_ "Right… Anyways, these sages of yours: where would they reside?"

"They live in the sage realm." He pulled out his Ocarina, and Erza visibly paled. "Don't worry, it gets easier the more you do it."

Link lied.

* * *

Erza looked around and an eerie feeling came across her.

"I know this looks bad, but this is unfortunately the easiest place we can come to." Link replied.

"A graveyard?" Erza exasperated.

Link deadpanned, "Yes." He took a few steps and headed straight, "Don't worry, the village is up ahead."

She followed behind him and finally took full notice of his appearance. He walked poised and carried his sword and shield on his back, contrary to his waist like her. He had tall boots that reached near his knees. White leggings underneath what seemed like a skirt, atop of a green tunic. He wore a brown belt around his waist, with fingerless gloves that reached his elbows, much like her gauntlets. She also noticed that around his waist was a small leather pouch. Finally, atop of his luscious blonde hair, snuggled around his cute pointed ears, was a green cap that looked like something she would wear to sleep.

Physically she could tell he was her age, maybe a year or two younger; however, she wasn't sure about mentally. She could tell he was a seasoned warrior. His handshake was firm, his voice low as if not used often, his arms were well-built and his eyes spoke of experience. Yet there was a certain charm to him, which made him look _boyish_.

Soon they reached what seemed like a gate, and then an entrance to the village. It was a small village, Erza could tell. As she looked around she could see it was packed though. There were people everywhere! She wasn't sure what to make of so many people.

Link kept on walking and reached an inn. She followed behind him as he entered. People nodded their heads in his direction, and he would nod back.

Talking to the inn keeper he spoke up, "How are things going?"

The burly bald man, who was in charge of the inn, looked up from his seat, behind a desk, and spoke, "Not good." He pulled out a clipboard and continued, "I'm trying to find shelter for everybody, but there's not enough room. Already I've prioritized children and women to the couple inn's we have and the elderly to go to the homes around. The villagers have miraculously stuck together, and helped out, but there are many who are getting angry."

Erza looked at Link and decided to walk toward the bar of the inn which was adjacent to the entrance. She managed to hear conversations from the people, and one of them particularly made her pay attention.

"I'll be the one to say." He looked a little drunk, but continued, "Things were better under Ganondorf!"

The three people who sat next to him tried to get him to lower his voice as murmurs were going around the room.

"Some so called hero that guy turned out to be!" The drunk persisted, "Yeah, they got rid of Ganondorf, but at least that thing wanted to rule the world. What kind of world would he rule if there was no one left? He knew he needed us, but now that he's gone, who keeps in check the monsters? The Sages? The Hero? We're worse off than before!"

A hand reached her from behind.

"Hey, I found you." It was Link.

Erza turned and nodded, "Yeah, I just wanted to catch up on events."

He gave her a weak smile, "Things aren't looking too good huh?"

She shook her head. "What are the people going to do?" She wanted to go home, but at the moment, all she could think of was all the people in pain and suffering.

"Well, hopefully the hero can get his act together and do hero stuff right?" He gave a small chuckle.

"Yeah, I guess." She didn't really know what to say. "How many people are there here?"

He scratched his chin a bit, "I don't know, around 6,000?"

Erza's eyes bulged! "That's a lot! Especially for a village!"

He nodded. "Yeah, unfortunately more than ¾ of Castle Town has fallen to those things." He looked down. "There are currently around 20,000 of those things locked there."

Erza didn't know what to say. _An_ _entire kingdom had fallen to that plague!_ What a frightening thought.

"Anyways, I'm sorry to stick this on to you, but I'm going on a short trip regarding supplies."

She wasn't sure why, maybe it was her nature to help, but she quickly replied, "That's fine, I'll come along."

"Really?" His eyebrow rose a bit, "I was going to simply tell you to wait."

"I don't feel like waiting." Then she gave him a mocking smile, "Plus, without me, those things might get you this time."

He laughed sheepishly. "Heh, there's no way those things can get the drop on me again."

She laughed at his bravado, "Anyways, when are we leaving?"

He turned around and headed towards the door. "I need to check up on a couple more things," He put his hand into the pouch around his waist and pulled out a key, "Here's the key to a room. Unfortunately, it's not really a room, and more of an attic. You can find it at the top." Before she could reply, he headed towards the door.

* * *

Link had left to the gates of the village. There were a small troop of knights on shift, and probably a couple sleeping in tents nearby. He headed towards the leader, "Sir Williams," he shouted ahead.

The knight in question walked towards the hero whilst removing his helmet, "Master Link! How was your trip?"

"It was eventful. I found a survivor." Link could feel a smile come from the knight's face. "Although, not much else. As usual, the ReDeads, are still immune to the power of the sun."

The older knight looked down, "Things aren't going well here either." Link's ears twitched at that. "Morale has gone down. People are fearful and want to leave, but we can't allow them to. Many want to return to Castle Town and look for relatives, but…"

Link couldn't help but sigh at that. "How are the barriers? Scott has informed that we are running low on water, and food supplies."

Williams' hand went to the nape of his neck, "The barriers won't hold out much longer. A week or two, if we're lucky; the couple dozen soldiers left are all that will stand between what's out in the fields and the villagers."

Link pondered what to do. "I'll head to the mountains tomorrow morning, see if I can get the Goron's to give some of their boulder to us." Williams looked as if to protest, but Link cut him off. "It's their food source; we can't just take it without asking."

"At least take a couple men with you!"

"No, if anything were to happen to the barrier, you would need all the men you could get to keep the villagers safe." Link then as an afterthought added, "Plus, I have a new companion, who managed to survive alone in Castle Town for who knows how long."

A whistle left Williams' mouth, "Mighty impressive. He must be good with the sword."

Link turned and headed off, but not without adding, "It's a _she_."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

While Link was out, Erza decided to continue listening to the drunken men. It seemed like the drunkard had been joined in by another.

"And why can't we leave? If Ganondorf is gone, we should be allowed to go back to Castle Town!"

Some people cheered on. "We can take down a couple of mummies!"

A chorus of "yeah!" rang throughout the room.

"Idiots."She turned to see a young woman sitting down drinking from a coffee mug. The woman looked up at Erza, as if feeling her stare. "They're all just idiots with illusions of grandeur."

Erza pulled the chair and waited for a moment. When the woman didn't seem to mind she sat down. "Hello, my name is Erza."

The woman put down her mug and extended her hand, "Clare Grant. Pleasure to meet ya."

She looked young, but mature as well. She was older than Erza and Link that was for sure. She seemed to be in her mid-20s. As they shook hands, Erza noticed the woman had a callused hand.

"It's from my bow." Erza looked up at the woman. "I'm an archer, I guess." She said as if it were nothing important.

"You must be very good."

"Not as good as master," Erza wondered if she was talking about her teacher, "but I practice as much as possible."

"Were you from Castle Town?"

"Aren't we all?" she replied, if a bit bitterly.

"I guess so. Were you there, when…"Erza spoke slowly, not wanting to make the situation unpleasant.

"Yeah, I was there." She looked at Erza, and could feel the outsider vibe oozing from her, but it also spoke of pain. It was the pain that they had all suffered: loss, betrayal, depression, they were all scars that everyone in Hyrule now had experienced in the past seven years. "At first it was Cody and me," when Erza looked as if to ask, Clare answered early, "My husband. He's a knight of Hyrule. Seven years ago when Ganondorf stormed the castle with beasts and monsters, the knights were all ready to lay down their lives for the Princess; however, it was then that we heard the bells from the Temple of Time."

Erza tried to memorize every detail being said.

Clare didn't think she was divulging much to begin with, this was mostly common knowledge. "The bells signified that the Hero of Time had been found. It was also a sign of retreat. Cody came to the house and told me to pack my things, the castle had fallen. When we exited the castle, monsters and beasts were walking everywhere. Cody and his mates helped as many people as possible. We banded what people we could find together and brought as many as we could to this village, and awaited the Hero of Time."

Erza saw the pretty raven haired woman take a drawled out sip of her coffee. "Seven years." The woman let that sink in. "Seven years we waited for the hero, but he never came. Everyone had given up hope. The Princess had gone into hiding, our friends and family in Castle Town had been made slaves for Ganondorf, and we were forced to stay in Kakariko Village."

A waitress came to their table and offered Erza food and a drink which she gratefully took.

"The world was worse than ever before. A dragon had taken the mountains, the lake had frozen over, and even the Gerudo tribe had been exiled." At the word dragon Erza paid extra attention. "The people's morale had fallen, and we were broken." A melancholic look came over Clare, "but then he came. With the Master Sword in hand, he destroyed the dragon, he shattered the ice, and he thwarted Ganondorf's plan at every corner. Then he rode up to the village and asked the knights for their assistance. The time had come: the hero would oust Ganondorf as the phony he was." Her spirit seemed to liven up. It was then that Erza noticed that the two drunkards had been silenced.

Scott the Innkeeper walked in, _"Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened_."

Clare laughed. "True. The morale of everyone was at an all time high. You all believed him didn't you? We all knew that Ganondorf would die soon. The prophecy would be completed!"

Scott filled in, "_When evil rules all, an awakening voice from the Sacred Realm will call those destined to be Sages, who dwell in the five temples_."

Clare turned to see Scott the Innkeeper. She smiled at him, "The hero had freed the sages of Hyrule and he would fight Ganondorf himself! The next day he would kill Ganondorf. There wasn't any hesitance. All the knights took up their arms ready to leave the next day." A mug of beer had been placed in front of her and she took a huge drink before saying, "Cody and I made love like rabbits that night."

The whole bar laughed and couple cat calls were made, while Erza blushed.

"A couple of men and others also left with them. The hero on his brown mare traveled ahead clearing the path by himself, making sure that we would be ready to take back the city ourselves while he faced Ganondorf." Then she looked around and stood up,

"The hero didn't fail! He did as promised! Ganondorf fell that night! Not only that, but even when that man turned into a foul demon, the hero didn't falter. The beast's cries were heard as far as even here, I reckon!" She looked at everyone, directly in their eyes, and they all fidgeted and looked away. "That battle would have killed any other man. I know I wouldn't want Cody to have been in his place!" She took a moment to steady her breath, and Erza noticed that everyone was staring intently. "When Ganondorf died and unleashed his Triforce of Power on those beasts, our Hero didn't leave! He was wounded, battered, his clothes in tatters, but he didn't falter. He ran to our aide, Master Sword cutting chains everywhere, covering our escape with arrows from every corner, and at the end, he carried a pillar to the gates of the city to stop the spread of the dead!" Her voice had finally reached a booming scream. "Those things, the monsters, all of it are outside of this village! We've all felt loss, but most of you have not been out there: out there with them." Now she looked down, her short raven hair barely covering her eyes. "I know you've all felt loss. We were only able to rescue a small amount of prisoners, after all, but none of you had to see your sister turn into one of them. None of you had to stab an arrow in to your sister. None of you had to kill your sister. The little sister you swore to protect." Erza realized that this had turned personal. She reached her hand out to console her, but it was slapped away. Clare once again angry, with tears in her eyes turned to the two drunkards from the beginning, "So while you're in here, drinking your sake, badmouthing our Hero, saying that you want to leave, think for a second! When you go to sleep tonight, think about how you're alive, about how you have food, drink and shelter. I want you think about how you haven't faced a ReDead, a Stalfo or worse, Volvagia the dragon. I want you think about it all, and if you think you can do better, then by all means, tomorrow morning tell me about your strategy, I'll be glad to call Sir Williams and the rest to elect you as our new hero." She turned around and stormed off towards her own chambers.

Erza stood up to follow her, but Scott the Innkeeper stopped her. "I would let her rest. You should rest as well; I overheard that you're leaving with Link in the morning."

She slowly nodded and decided to ask Link about where the hero was now.

Like Link had said, the room was actually an attic. She noticed that it was practically bare, but that made sense since apparently they had only started all living in this village for a day or two.

_Dragons, demon lords and faries? I'm definitely not in Fiore anymore._ She tried to recollect her thoughts from the entire day_. Apparently I'm in a land called Hyrule. The Celestial Realm doesn't only connect with Earthland, but other worlds as well. If I'm to return home, I'll need to talk to the Sages of Hyrule and ask them if their goddesses can send me back to Earthland. To be able to speak with the sages and goddesses, I'll have to meet and talk with this, Hero of Time. I guess for now sticking with Link is the right choice. I won't be able to meet the sages or goddesses while Hyrule is in ruins. I can't feel my armors, and some of my magic is sealed; however, I can still summon a couple armors and some of my armory. Magic is still in the air around here. That's one good thinking so far. I'm just glad I met Link instead of getting lost in those woods, who knows when I would've gotten out._

* * *

As they walked towards the path that led to the mountain, Erza was reminded that many people were now homeless. It made her wonder how they were on other supplies.

"Link, shouldn't we worry about rations, before we worry about security?"

"We're running low on food, but before we can replenish our provisions we need to fortify the gates of the village."

"I guess that's true. I just worry for these people."

Link could tell that she honestly meant that. At first he had his suspicions about allowing a foreigner travel around within the walls of the village, but race had never been a problem with him, and he wasn't going to let it become a problem now.

"Is that why we're climbing the obviously ominous mountain?"

"It's called _Death Mountain_."

"Lovely." She put her hand on her sword again as they walked. "What exactly are we getting though?"

"Death Mountain, like the name implies, is dead. There is hardly anything there."

Link and Erza kept walking up the mountain path, which was actually devoid of any life, as they walked.

"However, that is fine for Gorons, who eat rocks and such stuff."

Erza almost tripped when she heard that. _This land just gets weirder and weirder._

Link continued walking pretending he didn't notice, "We can't really get food from this mountain, but we can get some boulders to take to the village and protect our gates."

"Securing the perimeter, that is a wise move." She acknowledged.

Link absentmindedly nodded. She was strange. Now that he took a moment to realize it, she was wearing armor, but it wasn't the traditional Hylian armor that he had seen on other knights. It also seemed like her weapons were gone.

She caught him staring, and he quickly looked up ahead. "Anyways, the entrance to Goron City is a bit before the top of the mountain. We'll probably make it to the top before nightfall."

They kept treading towards the top. Erza wondered who this Link was. When they were walking through the village everyone seemed to be friendly with him. Scott the Innkeeper was very amicable with him as well. At breakfast, Link had spotted Clare and they exchanged greetings. He even mentioned that Sir Cody was doing fine. Link seemed really popular; she wondered what his opinion was of the Hero of Time.

"…_and the hero who fought Ganon was unable to stop the creatures from killing the people."_

_Erza noticed that his hands had curled into fists, and wondered if his family had been in Castle Town._

_That's right!_ She remembered that he seemed to be angry at him. "Hey Link." He kept walking, but he looked over his shoulder to acknowledge that he heard her. "Did... Did your parents make it out alive of Castle Town?"

He stopped walking, and she almost tripped into him.

"My parents… they died, before this. There was a civil war about 20 years ago, and my mother tried escaping." They continued to walk, but Link seemed to slow down. "I never got to meet her, because she died while carrying me as a baby to The Lost Woods. As for my father, I never met him."

She seemed to ponder that. It made her feel sad for him, but she didn't really know what to say.

Link could feel her pity, and decided to continue speaking. "I had a father figure… He was a deity that watched over all the living creatures of the woods, and he was known as The Great Deku Tree. And I had a friend who would take care of me like a mother would. She worried over me and protected me. I also had a sister, who would annoy me, much like a sister would annoy her brother, I guess. I had an older brother too, who was really strong!"

That made her smile a bit. "I also have childhood friends like any other person. I wouldn't call my life normal, and in these circumstances I don't think anyone would, but I think I've lived a pretty good life. I never had a family to compare it too, but I love these people nonetheless."

The dejected mood had changed and Erza felt she could connect to Link. "Sometimes family isn't defined by blood. Right?"

Link looked at her and smiled. "That's true." Then keeping up with her, "Is that what your family is like too?"

Link took notice of her. He wondered if she would just nod or explain.

Erza didn't know what to say. She decided to open up to him, not only because he opened up to her, but because she felt she could trust him. They had spent but a night together; however, they had a connection that allowed them to act like friends in such a short time. He was a warrior of Hyrule, and she was a mage of Earthland, they both faced challenges everyday and tried to fight the good fight. It was a sort of kindred feeling you get when you meet someone who does the same job as you. She could say: _I hate when I go on a journey and forget to pack the right equipment_, and she was sure he would laugh and remember a time he had done the same.

Finally answering his question, she spoke up. "Yeah. I don't remember my parents that well either, but I do have friends that I consider family. They mean everything to me, and I would die to protect them."

Her eyes had a fierceness in them that Link had only seen on a few people. He knew that in her group she was definitely a leader. People like Zelda, Nabooru, Saria, Darunia and even Ruto, knew of the sacrifice one must make for the rest of the group. He wondered if she really would die to protect her friends.

"I agree. I would kill _for_ my friends." He spoke these words softly, but the implications were strong.

She laughed nervously, "Yes, something like that." She remembered Natsu's words to both her and Gray. That one is to live on; not think about dying. _It's similar… right?_ "But what of self sacrifice?"

He thought that over. "I don't think I can respond for others." She looked at him confused, "We all have our own lives, and how we live them is our choice. If your choice is to be a priest, then you can be a priest. If you choose to become a knight then you should be one. I believe we're supposed to do what we believe we can, and if you don't believe in anything, then find something to believe in."

She considered his words before asking, "What do you believe in Link?"

He waited a couple moments before answering her. "I believe that while there is evil and corruption in this world, and I have to do what I can to stop it. That I can't rest while men are chased by bandits, and women taken advantage of. That while there are weak people, of any race, and are treated badly, then I can't sleep comfortably in a bed pretending nothing is wrong with the world."

Whatever Erza was expecting, she didn't expect that. He continued on, "I believe that I have one life, and that I will give my life to help others, because I can't stand idly by and watch things get worse. I disagree with you. I don't think that one shouldn't die for friends, but I also think that we all have responsibilities. If you shoulder those responsibilities, then you have see them through. Some of us don't have what it takes to assume those responsibilities, but I won't be one of those people."

"Are you talking about me?" She laughed. He was so wrapped up in his speech he didn't realize he came off as accusing. "If I have to die for my friends, I will. I don't see that happening, but I will do what I can to protect my friends."

It was too late to step back. "It's the same thing with everyone isn't it? Everyone wants to be a hero, but doesn't think of their friends. Being a sage, a hero, it's all the same. If there's a problem that requires you too die, then do it. However, understand that you're just leaving the problem to your friends. There's nothing you will be able to do after your dead after all."

She thought it over. Maybe dying inside the etherion would leave the problem to Natsu, but there was no way Link knew of that. What did he mean about this? Why was he so fixated on friends sacrificing themselves. She knew she brought up the question, but it seemed like he had more to say than she expected.

Erza decided to lighten the mood. "You're an odd one Link. I didn't really take you for a philosopher."

Link's defiant posture loosened, and he relaxed, even laughing a bit. "I wouldn't say I'm a philosopher, but when you're out on the road alone you have a lot of time to think. It's what we do with those thoughts that count." He flashed a small grin at Erza.

"So you'll go around saving people?" He nodded his head. "But what about doing things you enjoy? What about fishing or a relationship?"

"You ask great questions." He laughed a bit, "but unfortunately I don't have much wisdom to answer you with. What you're asking is why I would give up on things I enjoy for the sake of helping others. The truth is helping others brings me joy. I love helping out anyway I can; even if its small things, like gathering a woman's cuccos, or finding someone's dog. I know I can't fix the world, but if I can make it a little less horrible then I lived my life well."

Erza was still thinking things over when they finally reached the Goron City. At the entrance was a huge thing that looked slightly humanoid. It had arms, legs and stood on them, as well as a head, but that was where the similarities ended. The back looked tough like the shell of a turtle.

"Brother Link!" The goron at the gate greeted.

Link ran up to him and then they both hugged. Erza was especially surprised when Link lifted the goron off of the ground.

"Erza, I'd like you to meet, Gorganit!" He motioned with his hands, which she now noticed, donned silver gauntlets, "and Gorganit, meet my friend Erza."

Erza went up to him and shook his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you sir."

"Ha, you don't need to call me sir! I'm Gorganit, and you may call me so!" The goron, as Erza had deducted it would be called, bellowed out with a hearty laugh.

Link headed over to Erza and pulled her by her hand, as they walked inside. "This is Goron City."

After taking a few steps inside of the cave, Erza was astonished to see an entire city inside the cave. It spiraled downwards the entirety of what they had travelled that day. The city was built on what was the inside of a mountain. She idly wondered why they didn't make an entrance at the bottom to avoid the trip, but refrained from asking Link. As she looked around, she could see that everywhere there were gorons lazing about. She could see even more caves that were probably the bedrooms. It was an entire race that lived here, she realized.

He looked at her and spoke up, "Unfortunately I have to go once again. I'm sorry but I need to find the leader and discuss some stuff. You're welcome to come along, or you could explore the city?"

She looked at the whole city and decided she would much rather walk around than watch Link speak with another goron in a room. "I'll take my chances out here."

_Link was clearly crazy_, Erza assumed. She had just replied to him, when he smiled at her, and then ran off into the center of the city and jumped down into an abyss.

Erza was shocked but when she saw him at the bottom laughing, while gorons all around laughed and cheered she guessed he was fine.

She walked around first and saw a sign that described the levels and how they were divided. The top level seemed to have food, but to her it just seemed like rocks. She guessed that to them, meat must all look the same, and how humans cook it must make no difference. There was then the second level that was what seemed like art, with many types of sculptures and furniture. The next level was an armory, which actually interested her; it seems they had a smith, and a couple shops which sold equipment. There were more levels, but at the moment, that's all that interested her. She was about to turn when she saw a boulder tumbling at her from around the corner.

She quickly jumped to the side and saw the rock roll on by. "What on earth?" She managed to yell.

Erza was ready to leave when she saw the ball spin in a circle around the circumference of the city. Following the stone, she noticed it would be coming back again. She wondered if she could stop it with her hands. When the boulder once again was a few feet from her, she realized it was traveling too fast for her to do so. She dodged the ball again.

Her eyes were like that of a hawk, following that stone, circle the city. She counted the seconds it took for the boulder to make it around back to her. Once again the rock was a few steps in front of her, and she stopped her count, quickly jumping away from it. She did this two more times to see if it would accelerate, but realized this was as fast, or as fast as it would go for now, that it travelled around the city.

She scanned her surroundings and saw a much smaller rock around. She noticed it was different from the others for being flat. She quickly picked it up and placed on the path of the boulder. Then she re-equipped one of her swords. She put it on the rock, and then pointed it towards the wall.

Just as her count had predicted, the stone came tumbling at just the right time and it travelled right on to her blade before rolling off of it like a ramp and crashing into the wall. Erza smiled to herself. _Thank god I stopped that boulder; it could have hurt other gorons_.

When she saw her sword though, her smile faded. "My sword!" Yes, her sword had bent at an odd angle. She picked it up in dismay. "Looks like I really need to meet that smith now."

"Hey lady!" She turned around, but couldn't see much because of the dust. "What's the big idea?"

Out of the dust a small figure came out. It was a goron! "Why did you crash me into the wall?! And how did you do it!"

"Oh god. Where you the one rolling around?"

"Yeah! And I'm also the one you smashed into the wall!"

Erza looked horrified, but didn't want to admit being wrong. "Well… Why were you rolling around? You could have hurt someone!"

"No one would get hurt. Hardly anyone hangs outside of the shops in the first floor, except for Gorganit; that's why I chose this place."

She had been caught! _I guess apologizing won't hurt._ She sighed. "Fine, I'm sorry. I thought you were just some boulder rolling around and decided to stop you lest you hurt someone else."

The goron tapped his foot on the ground, "Fine. But what are you doing here? How did you get past Gorganit?"

"I'm Erza, I just came here with my friend, he said he had plans to discuss with someone here and would meet up with me later." When she saw the doubtful look on the goron's face she added, "Gorganit even let us in."

The goron tapped his foot again. "Well if Gorganit let you in, then everything must be fine." Erza was relieved; she did not want to cause troubles for Link. "Well since you introduced yourself, I guess I should do the same."

Erza smiled at him. "My name is Link."

Erza's jaw hung open.

* * *

"Link!"

As soon as he landed and the gorons cheered and laughed, he heard her voice. "Navi?"

Zooom. The little fairy flew around him in a circle. "Jeez Link! We're finally together again, and you're already sending me off!"

He patted her head, "I'm sorry Navi, but you're much faster than me."

The fairy beamed at the compliment. "How much faster am I than you Link?"

He laughed, "You're the fastest, Navi. If I had wings, you would still be faster than me!"

Navi glowed bright. "I knew it!"

"Thank you Navi. Now my meeting should be fast and easy."

"Fast enough so that you can get back to that red head Link?"

"Wha!" Link stammered. "I didn't mean that. I'm just worrying about Kakariko Village, that's all!"

"I'm sure that's all!" the sing song voice of Navi spoke out.

As they continued to banter, Link walked past the statue and headed towards the doors of Darunia's cave. He felt a wave sadness pass him as he approached to knock on his door. To him, it was just a few months ago that he was 10 years old playing Zelda's Lullaby to get Darunia to open the door for him. Even a few weeks ago, he still saw Darunia ready to face the dragon Volvagia. He was just telling Erza that people shouldn't sacrifice themselves for their friends, but if it weren't for Darunia's sacrifice, he wouldn't have had the time to find the hammer that would help him slay the dragon. _Darunia... we were brothers right... Why did you become a sage and leave us. Even your kid is lonely... _A sigh escaped him. His eyes started to water as he stood in front of the door._ I guess sacrifices are sometimes needed… even if they're not what we want. We still have a duty. Darunia had a duty to his people and I have a duty to not allow his death to be in vain. _

Navi seemed to take notice of his mood, because she popped out from under his hat and tried to cheer him up. "Just knock on the door Link! Let's take this one step at a time."

* * *

"What do you mean your name is Link?" Asked Erza, but then it occurred to her, "Wait… Is Link a popular name? Are a lot of people named Link?"

The young goron looked at her oddly. "I don't know if a lot of people are named Link, but there might be soon." When he saw Erza's perplexed looked he continued, "Because Link is The Hero of Time, the one who slain Ganondorf! I'm sure that all the women will want their young ones named Link, and maybe even dress them like him too!" Erza was shocked, maybe… maybe Link just happened to have the same name as The Hero of Time, but then the goron crushed that thought, "I sure wish I had a green hat to wear like his."

That was it. Erza, from her limited time at the inn, knew that most of the other people didn't dress like Link. He was alone in that category. She expected that The Hero of Time would wear knight clothes like that of Clare's husband, whom she had briefly seen the morning at the inn. However, it seemed that the hero wore a green cap. She didn't know many people here in Hyrule, but she knew enough to know that Link wore a green cap (because she often wondered what it would feel like on her own head).

Quickly thinking about this she thought it over again. "So then… Link, the young man dressed in a green tunic and tights, is The Hero of Time?"

The young goron looked at her, "Wait… Brother Link is here?"

When the boy said, _Brother Link_, Erza remembered that previously that day, Gorganit had also called him that. "Why do you call him _Brother_ Link?"

"Lady! Are you travelling with Brother Link, but you don't even know him?" He asked frustrated. "Well, my father used to say 'Stranger = Danger' but since you're with Brother Link, I guess it is okay."

She looked at one of the restaurants called, _Marble Garden_, and then looked at the goron, "How about we go inside there to eat and you can tell me all about Brother Link?"

The boy looked at her oddly. So _I get to eat free food and talk about my idol?_ "What's the catch lady?"

"No catch! I'm just interested in hearing about Link."

He wondered why, but if he didn't do it, someone else would tell her about Brother Link, and worse yet, someone else would get his food. "Deal lady!"

They walked into the restaurant and Erza quickly noticed it looked like a regular restaurant; except the food was rocks. She wasn't sure what she expected, but she was still surprised.

"So first question: why do you call him _Brother_?" Erza asked as she sat down. The goron looked around and waited for a waiter to get there. She waited patiently and only ordered a cup of water.

The young goron had a basket with what Erza thought looked liked bread sticks. But they were rocks. So in a sense, rock sticks… Anyways, Link the Goron stopped chomping on one of those rock sticks, and stared at Erza from across the table. He sat on the bench, his hands intertwined. His stare seemed to intensify for some reason.

"Hey are you-"

Erza was then abruptly interrupted. "It _happened a long time ago; in the days before my birth._" The young goron's voice seemed to get an octave lower. "_My father…_"

After the tale was finished Erza could only stare at the young goron. "You're telling me that when Link was 10 years old, he fought a dinosaur!? And 7 years later, he fought a dragon!"

Goron Link sighed, "Yes! I _only_ just told you _one_ of the best Epics of Link ever!"

"Epics? Are there more?"

"Well I guess the whole thing counts as one, but my two favorite parts are when he meets my dad, and when he saves our people from the dragon."

Erza was still in shock. "How does Link kill a dragon? Is that even possible without magic?"

"A long time ago there was an evil dragon named Volvagia living in this mountain. That dragon was very scary! He ate Gorons! Using a huge hammer, the hero of the Gorons... BOOOM! Destroyed it just like that. This is a myth from long ago, but it's true! I know, because my dad was a descendant of the hero! Later Link came, and together with the help of my dad, Link used the enchanted hammer to kill the dragon!"

She thought it over, and at the very least the facts sounded right. An enchanted weapon could always do more damage than a regular weapon.

_So Link is the Hero of Time? And he's been slaying monsters since he was 10? He's definitely going to have a lot of questions to answer from me, that's for sure._


End file.
